Newbie looking for help... Nasal mask Vs. Nasal pillow

[Battle4Rest]

I just came back from my second sleep study and used cpap for the first time. What a crazy experience that was. But as i go today i'm feeling different already. had some issues with the nasal mask last night and was wondering if nasal pillows were any better. I've been doing alot of research on sleep apnea for a while now and after last night i cant wait for a machine to get to my house!!!! I know it will be a battle but i just want to be prepared for the battle when it begins... Thanks a Million

[Telle]

Well I've only had one night so far, but I love my nasal pillows mask (Swift FX). Mainly because I like to lay on my side and that doesn't seem to disrupt the positioning of the mask like it did with the nasal mask I had during my sleep study.

[ozij]

Congratulation!
To tell you the truth, it's very personal, and you'll never know till you try.
In my personal experience, nasal pillows felt better than the nasal masks I tried. But others feel the opposite.

[Amigo]

I agree completely with ozij...it's a very personal preference.

I've been a nasal pillow user from the get-go as I wanted as little touching my face as possible.

Needless to say, I'm a strong proponent of nasal pillows, but you have to try both and decide what's best for you.

[Tired Linda]

Ditto to all of the above...it's very personal.

I've only been at this 9 nights. Started my sleep study with nasal pillows and switched to nasal mask during the night. (was like the night from hell anyway)

Brought home the nasal mask and used it last week. Had a hard time getting comfortable in any position, and mouth breathing/drooling was giving me fits. Went to try on some new masks the other night. I thought I was going to need a full face mask, but technician urged me to try nasal pillows and increasing humidity on my machine. I think this could be love (with a few "tweaks").

L

[Budleigh]

I'll mirror everyone's 'personal choice' sentiments, but there are some pretty obvious advantages to nasal pillows.

I started off with a nasal mask, but it was both a physical and mental battle for me, because I had to constantly adjust it as I moved around to keep leaks away, and that took a toll on my ability to actually relax enough to fall asleep or have any meaningful sleep. Some people, though, are stable and prefer the nasal masks because the pillows can sort of feel like they stuff your nose if you're not really used to them.

That is more or less what I thought when I first tried it, but after switching back from the nasal mask the pillows proved easily the most comfortable. There was a huge range of motion now allowable and that obviously gave me enough peace of mind to get through the night.

Try stuff out, and trust your body to tell you what is the most comfortable. It's as important to have confidence in your mask for the mental game of apnea conquering.

[lbw]

I started with a nasal mask, tried 2 but found it rested on upper lip. Switched to Opus 360 nasal pillow and very satisfied.
If at first you dont succeed try try again!

[Perrybucsdad]

Brought home the nasal mask and used it last week. Had a hard time getting comfortable in any position, and mouth breathing/drooling was giving me fits. Went to try on some new masks the other night. I thought I was going to need a full face mask, but technician urged me to try nasal pillows and increasing humidity on my machine. I think this could be love (with a few "tweaks").

L

Does anyone know why you would increase the humidity with the nasal pillows? I'm going through the nasal mask vs nasal pillows conundrum right now and just looking for information.

Thanks,

John

[Janknitz]

Tired Linda said she was experiencing mouth breathing. Often that can be caused by sinus congestion. In SOME cases, turning up the humidity helps, but some of us find turning the humidity DOWN helps. You have to experiment to see what works best for YOU.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

I totally agree with everyone, it can be very different for each person. For me, after now having 7 nights in the books since starting therapy, I still love the very first mask I tried out: P R EasyLife Nasal CPAP Mask. Unless something unforseen comes up to change that, I'll stick with it as it is comfortable and I now can go right to sleep.

One thing I know we all can all agree upon when it comes to masks... when it is right, you will KNOW it!

John